would make me look like a wet blanket and it would mean that they would be together having a fun time. I wasn’t going to go down without a fight if Stacy thought she could waltz in and take my best friend.
‘Lauren’s not here,’ she said.
It took a few moments for this to sink in. ‘Oh.’ I couldn’t think what else to say.
Stacy gave me that sweet smile of hers and linked arms with me. ‘She’ll be along later but she wants me to look after you until she gets here.’ She soon dropped my arm though. The height difference made it too uncomfortable for her. We must have looked like an odd pair;me so short and her so tall.
For the next couple of hours we looked round the shops. Or rather Stacy did and I tagged along wondering when Lauren was going to turn up. I tried to call her when Stacy went to the loo, but she must have had her phone switched off because it went straight to voicemail. I didn’t bother leaving her a message. I’d try again later.
Stacy was totally into clothes. We must have gone into every clothes shop we passed and tried on every single thing in every shop. At least that’s what it felt like. I did make her go into Waterstone’s but she got bored after about ten seconds and said,’ What’s the point of books? It’s bad enough that we have to read them at school. God, don’t they sell magazines in here? It’s okay for you. You can afford to waste your money.’ So I gave up.
Stacy hadn’t actually bought anything all day and she’d been making comments about how nice it must be to be rich and be able to afford anything you wanted. I ignored all these remarks because I know they were aimed at me. Actually, I did have quite a bit in my bank account which Dad had helped me open because I’m saving up my pocket money so I can get Spencer a birthday present and that War Hammer stuff is really expensive.
I decided that I was going to head off home. If Lauren wanted to shop with Stacy then she was welcome to her. I’d had enough. If she made one more remark about what she’d do if her mum had won the lottery and what she’d buy I might just end up hitting her.
‘I’ve got go now,’ I told Stacy.
Then, just at that moment Stacy said,’ Oooh, that’s my phone vibrating,’ and got it out of her pocket. ‘It’s Lauren. She says she’s on her way and we’re to meet her in Starbucks in half an hour.’ I was tempted to go home anyway but decided I could probably survive another half hour. Perhaps I could persuade Lauren to get rid of Stacy so we could have our usual shopping trip which didn’t involve every clothes shop in Bristol. We liked to mooch around in The Body Shop and Lush, trying out all the free samples and usually ended up smelling like a fruit salad. It was fun just buying little things like pens and hair slides and chocolate. Trailing round looking at clothes was not my idea of a good time. I could do that with my mum.
And that’s when it got weird.
Stacy had dragged me into a changing room with her. She was going on and on about how great the clothes were and how she had to have them. I wasn’t paying too much attention except to notice that she might be tall but she didn’t have much of a chest to speak of. And then Stacy grabbed my bag and started stuffing the clothes into it.
‘What are you doing?’ I squeaked.
‘Don’t panic,’ she said,’ it’s dead simple. Look.’ She opened her bag and pulled out a library book. ‘When we walk out the shop and the alarm goes off, I stop and wait for the assistant then tell her that my library book has set the alarm off. See?’
I was busy pulling the clothes out of my bag.’There is no way you’re putting those in my bag,’ I told her.
‘Don’t be so chicken,’ she hissed. ‘I used to do it all the time in London. It’s easy.’
‘It’s stealing!’
‘It’s all right for you to preach! You can afford to buy them. Well, we’re not all as lucky as you. I’m not leaving this shop without
‘Lauren’s not here,’ she said.
It took a few moments for this to sink in. ‘Oh.’ I couldn’t think what else to say.
Stacy gave me that sweet smile of hers and linked arms with me. ‘She’ll be along later but she wants me to look after you until she gets here.’ She soon dropped my arm though. The height difference made it too uncomfortable for her. We must have looked like an odd pair;me so short and her so tall.
For the next couple of hours we looked round the shops. Or rather Stacy did and I tagged along wondering when Lauren was going to turn up. I tried to call her when Stacy went to the loo, but she must have had her phone switched off because it went straight to voicemail. I didn’t bother leaving her a message. I’d try again later.
Stacy was totally into clothes. We must have gone into every clothes shop we passed and tried on every single thing in every shop. At least that’s what it felt like. I did make her go into Waterstone’s but she got bored after about ten seconds and said,’ What’s the point of books? It’s bad enough that we have to read them at school. God, don’t they sell magazines in here? It’s okay for you. You can afford to waste your money.’ So I gave up.
Stacy hadn’t actually bought anything all day and she’d been making comments about how nice it must be to be rich and be able to afford anything you wanted. I ignored all these remarks because I know they were aimed at me. Actually, I did have quite a bit in my bank account which Dad had helped me open because I’m saving up my pocket money so I can get Spencer a birthday present and that War Hammer stuff is really expensive.
I decided that I was going to head off home. If Lauren wanted to shop with Stacy then she was welcome to her. I’d had enough. If she made one more remark about what she’d do if her mum had won the lottery and what she’d buy I might just end up hitting her.
‘I’ve got go now,’ I told Stacy.
Then, just at that moment Stacy said,’ Oooh, that’s my phone vibrating,’ and got it out of her pocket. ‘It’s Lauren. She says she’s on her way and we’re to meet her in Starbucks in half an hour.’ I was tempted to go home anyway but decided I could probably survive another half hour. Perhaps I could persuade Lauren to get rid of Stacy so we could have our usual shopping trip which didn’t involve every clothes shop in Bristol. We liked to mooch around in The Body Shop and Lush, trying out all the free samples and usually ended up smelling like a fruit salad. It was fun just buying little things like pens and hair slides and chocolate. Trailing round looking at clothes was not my idea of a good time. I could do that with my mum.
And that’s when it got weird.
Stacy had dragged me into a changing room with her. She was going on and on about how great the clothes were and how she had to have them. I wasn’t paying too much attention except to notice that she might be tall but she didn’t have much of a chest to speak of. And then Stacy grabbed my bag and started stuffing the clothes into it.
‘What are you doing?’ I squeaked.
‘Don’t panic,’ she said,’ it’s dead simple. Look.’ She opened her bag and pulled out a library book. ‘When we walk out the shop and the alarm goes off, I stop and wait for the assistant then tell her that my library book has set the alarm off. See?’
I was busy pulling the clothes out of my bag.’There is no way you’re putting those in my bag,’ I told her.
‘Don’t be so chicken,’ she hissed. ‘I used to do it all the time in London. It’s easy.’
‘It’s stealing!’
‘It’s all right for you to preach! You can afford to buy them. Well, we’re not all as lucky as you. I’m not leaving this shop without
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